Leon Hadjinikolaou

Leon Hadjinikolaou is a cardiothoracic surgeon and a party member in Leicestershire.

In 2009 Adrian Hart hit the nail on the head. Observing Labour’s policy in schools, he realised that intensely enforced anti-racist policies
could create divisions where none had existed. That was an interesting
and sharp observation. But who has tried to enforce
anti-racist policies and why? Is it possible that we, immigrants, have
become the pawns in somebody else’s political and ideological game?

Let's start from the beginning. Population movements are not a new
phenomenon. If Darwin's Out of Africa
theory is correct, human immigration has been happening for at least 100,000
years. Throughout history there has been an abundance of well-recorded
population movements, due to wars, political prosecutions, aggressive
colonisation, slavery, and other unpleasant human attitudes.

One of the
most remembered periods of massive immigration was the ‘Migration
period’ between 300 and 700 AD. During that period Goths, Vandals,
Bulgars, Alans, Suebi, Frisians, Franks and other Germanic and Slavic
tribes invaded the Roman Empire. Even after 700 AD, Viking, Magyar,
Moorish, Turkic and Mongol tribes continued invading Eastern Europe.
Another well-known period of massive population movements was the ‘Age
of Discovery’ between the 15th and 17th Centuries, during which Europeans
colonised America, Africa, Australia and parts of Asia. Most of these
population movements were associated with a degree of violence.

Purely peaceful immigrations, however, went unnoticed until the time
the United States decided to put a ban on immigration in 1921. This ban
followed the “great wave” of immigration to the States between 1900 and
1920. Let's have a look on some examples of peaceful immigration.